ISLAND VOICES

Picking paths for early education

Don’t delete junior kindergarten yet; no child should be left without

By Lyla B. Berg

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 28, 2014

Hawaii's public-school students will be starting another new year in August. But if existing plans stay in place, 5,100 of the youngest will be excluded from classrooms, creating unnecessary chaos and frustration for parents. This does not need to occur, and it is incumbent action be taken now to prevent this impending debacle.
Some background: Since the 1940s, the public-school system offered kindergarten to children who turned 5 years old by Dec. 31. In 2004, Gov. Linda Lingle signed Act 219, which changed the date to Aug. 1. The intent was to create a two-tier kindergarten, enabling children whose birthdays are between Aug. 2 and Dec. 31 to enroll in "junior kindergarten," as these "younger" 5-year-old children tend to have lower test scores.

Hawaii's public-school students will be starting another new year in August. But if existing plans stay in place, 5,100 of the youngest will be excluded from classrooms, creating unnecessary chaos and frustration for parents. This does not need to occur, and it is incumbent action be taken now to prevent this impending debacle.

Some background: Since the 1940s, the public-school system offered kindergarten to children who turned 5 years old by Dec. 31. In 2004, Gov. Linda Lingle signed Act 219, which changed the date to Aug. 1. The intent was to create a two-tier kindergarten, enabling children whose birthdays are between Aug. 2 and Dec. 31 to enroll in "junior kindergarten," as these "younger" 5-year-old children tend to have lower test scores. Login for more...